First Day
by Athena's Marauder
Summary: Before Jason and the Mist came the dynamic duo of Piper and Leo. ((a short drabble about the first day at the Wilderness School))


The cars pulling into the parking lot of the Wilderness School looked much nicer than Leo expected. He'd arrived the day before on a rickety old bus that smelled like old cheese and feet with all the other wards of the state and now he people watched from the picnic tables out in front of the prison like school. The kids coming in today were the more well off kids, he guessed, kids with parents who could afford to send their children to a school for delinquents in style but didn't care enough to keep them out of trouble in the first place. Leo hated those kids already.

It didn't really matter, though, Leo didn't plan on staying at the Wilderness School long anyways. Since he was eight years old, Leo had been shuffled around from foster home to foster home. After he'd run away from the last one, his social worker decided it was time for a change. Now instead of staying with another white trash couple who threw slurs at him and just needed the checks from the state, Leo was sent to a nice school in the middle of nowhere for not so nice kids.

Leo had been there less than twenty-four hours and he was already devising his escape plan. He'd only have to wait for one of the school's lame weekend outings his social worker had told him about and slip out when the chaperones weren't looking. Leo would have to be on his best behavior until then so they wouldn't watch him too closely. That part would be difficult, as Leo's best behavior wasn't exactly, well. The best.

A chorus of giggles pulled Leo's attention away from the blueprint he was drawing on his forearm. As per usual, the prettiest and meanest girls had already found each other. And they'd already found their first victim.

They sat at table next to him and Leo easily spotted their target. He had seen the girl being dropped off in a fancy Mercedes but you wouldn't have been able to tell by the ratty cut off shorts and worn out shirt she wore. She sat by herself now, looking deep in thought at her school planner, but it was clear she could hear the girls just as well as Leo could. The girl was beautiful, with warm brown skin and chocolate hair that was choppily cut like she'd done it herself, but it somehow fit her.

"Has she ever seen a mirror?" One of the mean girls whispered in a way that was clearly meant to be heard. The girl looked up from her notebook for a moment, her eyes shifting color in the light like a kaleidoscope, before looking back down, her fist clenched.

"Seriously," Another one said. "Did she just crawl out of a dumpster?"

"Are there no showers on the Rez?" the last one asked. That one got Leo's blood boiling. Clearly it had the same effect on the girl, who stood up like she was about to go confront the three. Leo jumped up, walking over to the group of girls without thinking first, much like how he did most things.

"Whoa, who cut one?" Leo said, waving his hand in front of his face. The girls all looked at him as if he was something nasty on the bottom of their shoe. Leo was used to that though. "Was it you, Brittney?" Leo asked the one who made the shower comment.

"My name's Caitlyn."

"So you admit it." Leo said. Caitlyn blushed bright red.

"Let's go somewhere else," Caitlyn said, standing up and leading the other two away.

Leo waved as the left the picnic table, "Bye, enjoy your subtle racism," he shouted after them. The girl regarded him curiously, like she didn't know what to make of him. She sat down as Leo approached her table.

"Can I sit here?" He asked. Normally, he was nervous around pretty girls, but this one didn't scare him so she wasn't really his type.

"I could've handled them myself," the girl defended.

"You're right," Leo shrugged. "You could've, but you didn't have to. You can get the next one."

"You can sit," She answered, finally.

"Thanks," Leo said. "I'm Leo."

"Piper," the girl said. "What are you in for?"

"Would you believe me if I said I killed a man?"

"Not with those noodle arms," Piper laughed.

"Hurtful, but fair," Leo accepted. "I just have trouble staying still. What about you?"

Piper seemed to think about her answer for a brief moment. "Let's just say there was an incident with a BMW."

"Whoa, did you kill a man?"

"These noodles aren't just for spaghetti," Piper joked, making Leo laugh, and cracking a smile herself. Leo wasn't used to laughing at jokes that weren't his own.

Piper reached over into her patchwork backpack, pulling out a baggy with apple slices and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She offered half to Leo who gladly accepted.

As he tore into his half of the sandwich, Leo thought maybe staying still wouldn't be so bad.


End file.
